Intro to Improv Week 2: Beginnings and Endings
A TO C INSTANT BRAINSTORMING
We don’t want the audience to get bored with our show. Sometimes we can get into a rut or get stuck on a singular idea over and over again. Audiences like variety. One easy way to get unstuck and generate a new idea on the fly is to A to C it.
So let’s say we get the word ‘grasshopper’ and we have WAY too many scenes that are focused on grasshoppers or we’ve said the word ‘grasshopper’ five times too often. Here’s how you can fix that:
It’s as simple as saying to yourself:
“Grasshopper (A) makes me think of legs (B), which makes me think of shaving (C). I’m going to start the next scene by shaving my legs.”
We’ve now created a brand new thread for the show.
You can easily keep a show fresh continually by watching the previous scene, picking something out of it to A to C, and then spinning off in a new direction.
WHO WHAT WHERE
When starting new scenes, you want to hit three main things near the top of the scene: WHO (the relationship), WHAT (what the scene is about), and WHERE (the current location for the characters).
When a scene doesn’t quite work, it’s usually because one of these elements is missing from the scene.
For Intro, we have a solid ‘training wheels’ start to scenes that will hit Who, What and Where easily and consistently, but we’ll also teach you later in the semester how to rescue a scene that is missing one or more of these vital elements.
THE PERFECT SCENE STARTER: DO + FEEL + KNOW + SAY + PLAY
FEEL: Emotions
As you silently start digging that hole, think about how your character feels at this moment. Are they happy? Are they angry? Show that emotion. Emotions + Object Work = Gold!
Make the emotion big so it’s clear to the other person as they enter the stage. Continue to do your thing silently and with full emotions.
The second person now enters the stage area and joins you silently in that activity – either do the same thing or something that goes along with it. They will have their own emotion towards this as well. It can be the same emotion or it can be completely different – both will create a fun dynamic.
DO and FEEL this silently together for around 10 to 20 seconds.
KNOW: Relationship
Characters should almost always know each other. You can have a perfectly fine scene between total strangers, but you can get to the meat of the scene much faster if the characters know each other well and have opinions of the other person.
Naming the other character, or naming the relationship is a great way to establish that history together.
Once the Object Work and Emotions are underway with both characters, pause and make eye contact for a second or two and then state the other character’s first name or establish the relationship. Also let the name be inspired by the scene – try not to pre-plan or use in-real-life names.
Let the emotion come through in that naming.
“Samuel…” “Stacy…”
“Mother…” “Ethan…”
“Johnson…” “Mr. Stern…”
“Newman…” “Jerry…
Naming goes a long way towards establishing that the characters know each other and have a relationship. Going even further by establishing if they are friends, neighbors, family members, spouses, co-workers, etc. is a gift that will fuel the scene.
SAY: Sentence
Once the Object Work and Emotions have been established, and the characters have named each other (or named the relationship), pause for a beat and then either character can start talking.
Normal everyday conversation is best with improv. Resist the urge to say something crazy or ‘funny’.
Trust the Yes-And process. The funny stuff WILL happen!
PLAY
Now just have a nice scene. Eventually the WHAT of the scene will figure itself out. When it does, play with it.
You don’t need multiple things to play with, just the main WHAT. If Mom steals cars, what else is true about Mom?
Putting it All Together: DO > FEEL > KNOW > SAY > PLAY
Here are the steps:
- Get a word from the audience or use a word, concept or idea from a previous scene as your initiation.
- Step out silently and use the word as inspiration to start object work along with a strong emotion. Don’t speak, just let it be silent for a bit.
- A second improviser will come into the scene and join you in that activity, silently either doing the same thing or doing something that goes along with what you are doing.
- They are also going to add their own strong emotion to what they are doing – it can be the same as the first character or completely different. If the first person is happily wiping tables, the second person might be angrily sweeping the floor. And the second person should actually interact with objects – not just supervise the first person!
- Give it about ten seconds or more of silently doing the object work together. Let the emotions flow.
- Both characters, who know each other well, will pause, make eye contact, and silently hold that eye contact for a second or two.
- While making eye contact, each character will say the other character’s first name – let this be inspired by the scene
- Now either character can kick things off with a sentence. Go for truth and honesty over crazy. Trust us: truth is far funnier!
- Play out the scene.
It’s a formula, but it works consistently and is a great way to get things going!
After a bit, we’ll drop the formula, but the WHO WHAT WHERE elements should still be established near the top of the scene. Trust the Yes-And process to bring the funny part to light as you discover the scene together.
HOW TO END SCENES: SWEEP EDIT
Once a scene is over, it is up to the rest of the troupe to edit it in order to end it and start a brand new scenes. There are a few different ways to edit a scene.
A Sweep Edit (also called a Wipe) works like this:
Once a scene is over, someone from the back line runs across the front of the stage to signify that it is done and a new scene should begin immediately.
By doing this, you are the human equivalent of the line that transitions from one scene to another on a movie screen. In Star Wars, the scene is on Tatooine and the line moves across and now it transitions to the Death Star. You’re the human equivalent of that line. It could also be thought of as pulling a curtain to end and start a new scene.
Wipes will happen when:
- A funny button line is found – a moment that is the perfect end to the scene.
- The scene isn’t getting traction after a minute or so – go ahead and get it out of there.
For Intro, we want you to learn to trust and depend upon your scene mates, so we’re going to ask that you stay in a scene until someone from the troupe’s back line (anyone not currently in the scene) runs across in front.
THE ANATOMY OF AN IMPROV SHOW
This is how to do a simple and diverse montage improv show with just a single word from the audience.
- Everyone comes out with high energy, hooping and hollering.
- A designated person will introduce the troupe and get a suggestion from the audience.
- The first person who steps out will use the word as an inspiration for their silent object work and big emotion. If you get “sunshine” from the audience, maybe you’re excitedly putting on sunscreen, or frustratingly adjusting the blinds.
- A second person will join in the activity, silently doing the same thing or something that goes along with it, also with their own emotion that doesn’t have to match the first person’s, but can.
- After a few seconds of silent activity, make eye contact and name each other, letting their emotions through as they say the name – let the names be inspired by the scene and don’t pre-plan. “Jessica…” “Trevor…”
- Now start talking and Yes-anding.
- When you find out what the scene is about together, play with what emerges.
- When the scene hits a funny moment (or stalls out), someone not currently in the scene will come from the back or side line and wipe the scene.
- Everyone that wasn’t in that scene should be picking something from it to A to C and then use that as potential inspiration for the next scene.
- Blinds make me think of cords which makes me think of computers. I’m going to start the next scene by happily typing in an office.
- Every scene try to find something from the previous scene to use to A to C for the next scene.
- If a third character is named that isn’t currently in the scene, someone from the back line can enter as that character. “My boss is coming over for dinner.” Keep Walk-ons to a minimum for now and only when someone is named – we’ll teach more on that topic later!
- String scenes together like this for the allotted time. A to C something said in the previous scene. The more tangental the better! This will create a thread through the entire show that connects each scene together, but doesn’t get repetitive or stuck in a rut.
- When the timer hits zero, everyone throws their arms up and says “THAT’S OUR SHOW!!!”
- Take a bow and exit the stage.
Improv Video of the Week
Late Show: The Invisible Props Department
Improv Exercises
Here are descriptions of some of the improv games that were played this week if you want to share them with friends and family!
Five Things
A simple, off-the-top-of-your-head game. Someone give a Five Things topic to someone, serious or silly. That person is going to list five of those things, as fast as they can without thinking. They can make things up if they want to.
After each thing is listed, everyone else counts them off. “ONE…”, “TWO…”, etc. until the last thing is listed. Then everyone says “THESE ARE FIVE THINGS!!!” together and that person now gives the next topic to someone else.